Olympic Legends - Arroyo’s epic display

LONDON (Olympics) - Carlos Arroyo had a game he'll never forget back on August 15, 2004, when he donned the Puerto Rico jersey and led his country to a stunning upset of the United States on the opening day of the Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Athens Games.

The flashy point guard put on one of the finest performances of that Olympics, giving new meaning to the phrase razzle-dazzle.

He had 24 points, seven assists and four steals in a 92-73 romp against the Americans.

When it was over, Larry Brown's Team USA, which included a young trio LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, didn't know what had hit them.

"No doubt it was one of the best games of my career, and probably my happiest win," said Arroyo, who had in the 2003-04 campaign taken over as the starting point guard of the Utah Jazz following the retirement of NBA all-time assist leader John Stockton.

The second quarter of that game is when Puerto Rico knocked the United States off the rails, outscoring them 28-7 for a 49-27 lead.

The USA tried to come back but Arroyo and his team didn’t crack.

After the final buzzer, the playmaker was in a state of basketball nirvana.

He ran to the side of the court and tugged on his shirt so everyone in the crowd could see the letters PUERTO RICO.

"I got carried away with emotion," he said.

"I thought of the people back home watching, what this win meant to them."

Arroyo ended up averaging 19.3 points per game in Athens and Puerto Rico made it to the Quarter-Finals where they fell to Italy, 83-70.

FIBA